Opportunity 2028

Over the past couple of years, we have continued to evolve our Community Impact work to best align our current capacity to our mission. The cornerstone of this work has been our Community Mapping and Needs Assessment process through which we have mapped out a Collective Impact Plan which is now known as Opportunity 2028. In January, our Board of Directors endorsed a set of goals and objectives to guide the effort. These goals and objectives are listed below in priority order:

Bold Goal #1

Meet basic needs and promote self-sufficiency for all

107,461 Eastern Mainers are currently living in poverty* (ex. family of 4 making less than 49,200/year)

Our goal is to move 10,746 people out of poverty* by 2028.

*defined as 200% of federal poverty level

Bold Goal #2

Prevent, treat and support recovery from Substance Use Disorder

Currently 107 people in Eastern Maine die each year due to overdose.

Our goal is to eliminate deaths due to Substance Use Disorder by 2028.

Bold Goal #3

All children have quality early learning experiences

Currently only 48% (1,347) of children in Eastern Maine are reading proficiently at the end of third grade

Our goal is to increase the percent of children reading proficiently at the end of third grade to 58% by 2028.

United Way of Eastern Maine

With an estimated population of 295,062 Eastern Maine is filled with outdoor adventures, rural communities, bustling historic town centers, great business success stories, and its own unique set of community challenges and needs. Evolving our role to become what the community requires to respond to the most pressing issues, UWEM wants to engage more people, raise awareness of the issues our communities face, and activate our cross-sector network of partners. Join us in creating long-term, sustainable change together!